Sir Terry Leahy today unveiled a raft of measures at Tesco to encourage greener shopping habits after warning of the "chaos" climate change will create for future generations.
The new green initiatives include: aiming to cut the carbon impact of the products in Tesco’s supply chain by 30% by 2020; spreading green technology pioneered by Tesco in developed countries to its operations in developing countries; extending green Clubcard points to encourage eco-friendly behaviour, and enabling consumers buying bogofs to pick up the free item at a later date to reduce food waste.
Leahy was speaking at the Manchester University’s Sustainable Consumption Institute – alongside business chiefs from Unilever, Coca-Cola, SC Johnson and Reckitt Benckiser, as well Tory leader David Cameron – at the launch of a new report, ‘Consumers, business and climate change’.
“It is only by releasing our potential – as people, as consumers, as users – that we can turn targets into reality,” Leahy said.
“It will be a transition achieved not by some great invention or a grand act of Parliament, but through the millions of choices made by consumers every day all over the world. We must decouple economic growth from emissions growth by creating a second consumer revolution: building and fulfilling a demand to live a low-carbon life.”
He also committed Tesco to becoming a zero-carbon business by 2050 without purchasing offsets.
“For Tesco a revolution in green consumption is a fantastic opportunity: once and for all to break the link between consumption and emissions, and in doing so to satisfy a new consumer need and grow our business.”
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Is the 'bogof later' an inspired idea or simply a gimmick? Has Tesco leapt ahead of its rivals in the race to be greenest retailer? Click 'Post a comment' to have your say.
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